Hi everyone!
My name is Sam Spirt (she/her). Working with children, adolescents, and their families has been the foundation of my interests/experiences since I was in high school, so I am extremely excited to be taking this course!
I went to Tulane University in New Orleans for undergrad, where I majored in Psychology and took many courses surrounding theory and practice with children/adolescents/families. While at Tulane, I volunteered at Children's Hospital New Orleans and various New Orleans public schools. Such experiences led me toward a career in social work, as I learned to enjoy working with children and families in the context of the various systems with which they are involved.
Additionally, I have spent the past two years working for an agency in Warrington, PA called K/S Consultants which provides in-home counseling to children and families involved with county Offices of Children and Youth, Juvenile Probation, and select school districts in Bucks and Montgomery counties. I work in the field as an Individual Counselor for youth ranging ages 5-17 with various struggles including foster care, abuse/neglect, truancy, family conflict, and mental/behavioral health concerns. I also work as an Administrative Assistant in the agency's office, which has provided me with relevant background surrounding the systems, funding, and program development involved in child/family service provision.
My first-year placement was at Abington School District (primarily Abington Senior High School), which is a large public school district in a Montgomery County suburb, 15 minutes from where I grew up. My second-year placement will be at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, working with Behavioral Health LCSWs in the Behavioral Health Integrated Program and the Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Program. As reflected by my placements, my primary areas of interest are working with children and adolescents in the context of education, healthcare, and family systems. I can't wait to further my knowledge and passion for child and family social work throughout the next five weeks in this course :)!